I Became the Assassin Family's Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

“You have a fever.”

Riche muttered as she pressed her hand against Deon’s forehead, who had lost consciousness.

His body was burning with fever.

‘This is bad.’

High fever was harmful to a child’s body.

In the past, the children she lived with didn’t disappear just because they were noisy.

Sometimes, there were children who, like Deon now, ran high fevers and broke out in cold sweats.

Those children would vanish by the next day, never to be seen again. Riche knew well enough that this wasn’t for any good reason.

‘He said we could leave the forest by morning.’

Would Deon be able to hold on until then?

Riche listened carefully. Fortunately, she heard no monster sounds.

Deon’s breathing, unconscious as he was, came out ragged. He groaned softly, clearly in pain.

‘Did he really say he was going to feed me to monsters?’

She didn’t know why he always said such awful things, but hadn’t he just frightened her earlier only to try and save her afterward?

She hadn’t replied, too choked up to speak, but she had heard every word Deon said.

“What should I do?”

If she still had her previous 19-year-old body, she could have carried Deon to some safe place.

But now she was just a 7-year-old child.

All she could do was……

“Ugh… ughh……”

Riche stared at the black aura undulating over Deon’s chest.

When she reached out her fingers, the dark energy coiled around them as if it had been waiting.

‘All I can do is……’

Her fingertips trembled, and her heart pounded rapidly.

Fear. That was the emotion Riche felt.

Hesitating no longer, Riche channeled purifying energy from her fingertips.

The dark aura surged toward the shimmering light like a snake lunging at its prey.

“……Aaah!”

It felt as if a red-hot, sharp awl pierced her fingertips.

Overwhelmed by unbearable pain, Riche stopped channeling her power and jerked her hand back.

The black aura rippled as if savoring a missed opportunity.

‘I can’t do it.’

Even Duke Gerwer had waited until Riche turned nine before attempting purification.

Later, he’d casually mentioned, as if telling an amusing story, that if he’d tried it earlier, her body wouldn’t have withstood it.

“You’d have died. Ltiom’s power emanates from the heart. The cursed energy I placed inside you would have burst your heart.”

The familiar pain plunged Riche back into memories of the past.

“Purify it.”

“It hurts! It hurts so much……!”

Riche’s small body trembled like an aspen leaf.

She’d vowed to live a life free from suffering this time.

“Cough… cough…”

Deon’s upper body jolted violently.

The brief purification attempt earlier seemed to have agitated the dark energy, making it even more toxic.

Deon’s condition deteriorated rapidly.

Unlike before, his breaths now came short and ragged, perilously close to stopping altogether.

Tears welled up in Riche’s eyes.

‘I……’

Two days.

Yesterday and today, she hadn’t been in pain.

She’d eaten delicious food, bathed in warm water,

slept in a soft bed, and met people who treated her kindly.

For a brief moment, she’d dared to hope again and even gained a new name.

Though it still didn’t feel real, she’d gotten a father and an older brother.

Perhaps God’s gift to her was this brief respite after Duke Gerwer abandoned her—a life that was originally meant to end in that cellar.

“Call me Father.”

If only she’d known it would be the last time, she would have called Duke Rodwick “Father” just once.

It was a title she’d never thought she’d utter in her lifetime.

More resignation than resolve, Riche steeled herself to let go of her life once more and reached her trembling hand toward Deon.

Sssssssshhhhh.

The wind blew again. Leaves rustled against each other.

The place where monsters had fallen vanished, replaced by a new path.

The forest began changing its appearance.

“Don’t die… …Oppa.”

Riche gritted her teeth.

Just as she prepared to endure the overwhelming pain and use her purifying power again,

“Huh…?”

Boom.

The transformed forest—and before the children now stretched a vast lakeside vista.

The cool night sky unfurled above, blanketed with countless stars. The calm lake embraced that starry sky.

Everything visible shimmered as if studded with scattered jewels.

Riche’s gaze was utterly captivated by this serene, beautiful world.

Plop. Plop.

One of the stars in the lake leaped out onto the surface.

Then it zipped rapidly around Riche.

‘…What is this?’

Riche turned her head to follow the star, but its speed left only afterimages of light.

A cheerful voice then rang in Riche’s ear.

[You’re Ltiom, aren’t you?] [This is the timeline separator]

Screeeeech!

Slash!

One charging monster fell to Jed’s sword.

Jed proudly turned toward Blake.

“My lord, did you see that? Just now, my swordsmanship—”

—was cut short mid-boast.

Three monsters had collapsed from a single strike of Blake’s.

“What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Maybe his lord really could have handled everything alone. Perhaps Jed hadn’t needed to come at all.

Realizing anew just how absurdly powerful his master was, Jed shook his head.

‘My lord’s the real monster. I’m quite exceptional myself, of course.’

While Jed consoled himself, Blake scanned the surroundings, sword still in hand.

Moments ago, the forest had shifted again—this was the second transformation.

They’d been rushing toward the direction of the scream, which he believed came from Riche.

‘Deon wouldn’t have left her alone.’

Though Deon didn’t particularly like people, he wasn’t heartless.

Even his assassin act was merely to scare others away, not out of malice. In truth, Deon had never actually killed anyone.

Still, Blake felt uneasy, even while believing Deon wouldn’t let anything happen to Riche.

‘Of all nights, it had to be the full moon…’

Night belonged to the forest.

Some creatures were affected by the moon’s phases.

And it wasn’t just monsters.

Ancient tales claimed that on full moon nights, beings from other dimensions wandered through the forest.

Blake casually cut down another monster lunging at him and kept moving.

“Jed.”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

The night air was cold.

[This is the timeline separator] [You really are Ltiom!]

After the first star emerged from the lake, others followed, flying around Riche.

So many gathered that despite the deep night, the area became as bright as day.

[Make a contract with me!] [No, with me!] [I’m stronger!]

Then, placing seated Riche at the center, they began competing amongst themselves.

‘What in the world is happening…?’

Riche was utterly bewildered.

Amidst the chaos, she stayed close to Deon.

“Ughh…”

Deon’s condition remained unchanged.

‘He probably didn’t hear them call me Ltiom…’

Given he was only groaning without speaking, that seemed likely.

Just as Riche reached to hold Deon’s pained hand,

[Don’t!] [You must make a contract to use power!]

Their shrill cries pierced one ear and shot straight out the other.

She’d only meant to hold his hand.

Reflexively covering her ears, Riche spoke to the stars.

“Um, sorry, but it’s a bit too loud… Could you speak more quietly?”

[Then you’ll make a contract with us?]

“Contract?”

Riche tilted her head in confusion.

She’d wanted to ask this earlier but hadn’t found a chance to interrupt.

“What kind of contract are you talking about?”

[What contract?! The contract with Ltiom, of course!]

“With me? …Why?”

[If you make a contract with Ltiom, we can go outside.]

“Outside? Outside where?”

[The world where you live.]

The stars giggled gleefully, clearly enjoying their conversation with Riche.

Then, remembering her request for quiet, they began whispering amongst themselves.

[We need to contract quickly.] [Big trouble if the biggest star appears.] [She said she doesn’t want a contract. She said she’d destroy Ltiom if she saw it.] [That one’s scary.] [Scary because it’s strong.]

‘The biggest star?’

As if answering Riche’s curiosity, a loud splash echoed from the lake.

Unlike the light plops when the other stars emerged, this sound was heavy and deep.

[Yeek!][Run away!]

The stars gathered around Riche vanished in an instant.

Darkness returned—but only briefly.

An incomparably brilliant light appeared before Riche.

Blinded, Riche squinted.

The light hovered in midair, observing her, then chuckled.

[You’re not new at this, are you?]

“…?”

[I like you.]

The light charged straight at Riche.

‘They said the biggest star would destroy Ltiom.’

But first, Deon……

Riche quickly grabbed Deon’s hand and used her purifying power.

‘It hurts…!’

Agony as if her whole body was being torn apart, Deon’s breathing evening out, and the massive ball of light engulfing her—

Amid these overwhelming sensations flashing in an instant, Riche lost consciousness.

[This is the timeline separator]

“…Miss! Young miss!”

When Riche opened her eyes again, she was in a bed.

Not the servants’ room she’d previously shared with Anna, but a luxurious chamber with a grand bed.

‘Where am I…?’

Before Riche could grasp her situation, someone pulled her into an embrace.

It was Anna.

“Are you alright?!”

“Y-yes… I’m okay…”

Anna repeated “Thank goodness” about five times before handing Riche some water and explaining what happened.

“My lord went into the forest to find you both.”

Unable to wait until morning, Blake and Jed had entered the forest to search for them.

When the forest changed its appearance for the third time, they luckily found Deon and Riche collapsed not far away.

“It was perfectly timed. Any later, and… they said a bird-type monster was eyeing you both from a nearby tree.”

After dealing with the monster, Blake and Jed waited beside the unconscious children until morning,

then carried them out of the forest.

That was yesterday morning.

Riche, unconscious, had slept in bed for a full day.

“We were so worried—you didn’t wake up for a whole day!”

Anna’s face looked haggard.

She’d stayed by Riche’s side all night.

“Are you hungry?”

Riche shook her head.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Still, I’ll bring you some light soup before lunch. After not eating for a whole day, a full meal might upset your stomach.”

Sitting on the bed, Riche nodded up at Anna, who inwardly sighed while looking at her.

‘Ohhh, she’s just too adorable.’

Those big, innocent eyes looking up at her—how could she not be utterly charmed?

She wanted to hug her again so badly, but held back, fearing she might startle the child.

‘I’m so relieved she woke up. I was terribly worried when I heard they’d entered the monster forest.’

Even after the child returned unharmed in Blake’s arms, Anna couldn’t ease her anxiety.

Riche simply wouldn’t wake up. She’d fretted endlessly, terrified something might happen to her.

“I’ll be right back with the soup.”

“Um…”

Riche caught Anna just as she turned toward the door.

She had many questions—why Anna used honorifics with her, where the Duke was right now—

but there was one thing she most wanted to ask.

“What about the young master… no… …Oppa?”

“Oh, the young master?”

Anna smiled with evident relief.

“He’s been locked up.”